Showing posts with label Rocket Kelly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rocket Kelly. Show all posts

25 January 2020

Haven't We Been Here Before? (No)

I've been stumbling through piles and pages that were pulled for blog topics ages ago (Internet time) but have sat unloved in dark corners of the cave.


Often it's things that i would have claimed i already ran, except for the fact that they don't actually seem to be anywhere on this blog. Like i would have sworn we already saw Pussy Katnip...


Nope. No sign of her. 

That, however, is for another day. As you might surmise from the top pic, we're looking at Rocket Kelly today. He had a brief mention previously, but only as a title in which Ernie appeared. As you can see from the image above, Kelly had his own title - but he didn't start there, he had to earn it. And his is not the easiest origin story to read. 

I'm still digging trying to sort out chronology - he had stories in books like Everybody's Comics and All Great Comics, in their un-numbered issues with only a year to indicate when they were published. Not only is there no month for sorting convenience, but sometimes the year seems in error with "reprints" appearing before the originals and other such anomalies.

Whether these were his First Appearances or may still be subject to further research and speculation, we do have his four-part origin story today. Starting in Green Mask #10, just before volume one expired, then jumping over to The Bouncer to continue in #s 11-13. (And that may give you a good idea on how long Kelly has been sitting in the piles)





While we know Len Short wrote Pussy Katnip, that's about it. "Ted Small" is a pseudonym, and the artists remain uncredited.

But we'll be seeing more of both.

page art from Green Mask #10, The Bouncer #s 11-13 and Rocket Kelly #2 (1944)

26 June 2019

Ernie! Confound It! What Have You Done Now?

Ernie was a guy who never caught on, it seems. But, he tried. He had three different strips (all by 'Vic Brown'), each appearing in a different title. He debuted in All Great Comics in 1945, and popped up in both Rocket Kelly and Zoot Comics in '46.

Although he may only have had these three comic tales, it seems his adventures were ongoing well before that time. The first story opens up "Yes! Ernie has blown the top off the peace and quiet of his home again!" And Ernie's father is already tired of his dren...


Ernie's interests turn from science to fantasy for his next tale. (We're guessing on the order here. One story is from August-September issue, the other is from the Fall issue. Ipsy/bipsy) His attentions have turned from chemistry to the tales of One Thousand And One Nights...


He manages to combine his interests in science and fantasy for his third, and final, tale...


Although Ernie may only have had three appearances in the comics, he got a pretty good ending to his stories.

page art from All Great Comics (nn), Rocket Kelly #4, Zoot Comics #3 (1945, 1946)